


Monsoon

by Aweebwrites



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cat/Human Hybrids, Hunters & Hunting, Hybrids, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-20 22:57:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20683331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aweebwrites/pseuds/Aweebwrites
Summary: Jay had to make a gamble to secure his future. Is he doing the right thing?





	Monsoon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LucariosFish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucariosFish/gifts).

> This idea has been plaguing me for a while so here! Wild Cat Au!

In the tall, tan grass of the dry savanna laid a seemingly sunbathing Cheetah, camouflaged almost completely thanks to the fur that covered most of his body. The darker spots and even the messy chestnut hair the big cat had didn't hinder his ability to remain camouflaged at all. In fact, these aided him to fit into the earth tones of the dry savanna. While the sun felt good soaking into the demi human's skin, he had his eyes focused on the small group of gazelles grazing in the dry grass nearby. They seemed to have arrived earlier than expected for the rainy season. Jay could hardly wait himself. It's been hard finding a water hole to keep hydrated under the intense heat of the sun, especially with the lions and stronger animals than he hogging it all for themselves. Jay watched as a gazelle strayed from the group, his tail flicking eagerly as he wanted for the right time to strike.

Given that he was on his own and finding territory was hard, worse to find a watering hole, he decided to do the most foolish thing any cheetah, demi-human or not could do… He decided to try and talk to a lion. Bigger, fiercer, angrier cats than he. Even a female could take him down easily if they somehow got their paws on him. But what choice did he have when his adoptive parents had passed from old age? The old hyenas had taught him as much as they could about life as a cheetah through their experiences with them. He wasn't used to being in the norm anyway. He had to do what he can to survive. Of course he steered clear of the baser lions and headed for a small group of demi-human lions. In fact, it was so small of a group that was only two persons. A lion and a lioness. That didn't mean that the sole lion with a dark mane, borderline red didn't pounce on him immediately, snarling at him as he held him down with his large paws.

The gazelle strayed farther from the herd and closer to him. He licked his lips as he tightened his crouch, ready to pounce. The gazelle wandered even farther from the herd and even closer to the waiting predator. Finally, Jay saw his opening and shot out, startling the gazelle into a run as the others rushed away for safety. Jay was on its tail, keeping up no problem as he worked on getting closer. He kept up with each sudden turn to try and throw him off, paws beating roughly against the dry plains as he kept going. He was starting to get tired through, felt it in his muscles with each fast step of his paws. The gazelle started to gain distance. Jay smirked as he chased it still. He may be getting tired but that gazelle wasn't about to get away. He darted left before the gazelle could, keep it right in the right path. They were approaching even more tall grass.

Suddenly, the lion and lioness jumped out of the grass roaring at the gazelle and startling it, leaving it to skid as it tried to change direction. That was all the opening Jay needed. He pounced at the gazelle from behind, sinking his claws into its hide and biting into its back. Before the gazelle could think about trying to escape, it had the thick fangs of the lion in its neck, the lioness helping Jay hold it down. Suddenly, the lion jerks back, snapping the gazelle's neck and securing their meal. Both Jay and the lioness held onto the gazelle as the life left it then only relaxed a bit once it was still.

"For a second there, I thought you were losing your game." Kai says then licked the blood away from his thick fangs.

"So you think." Jay huffed as he pulled back, licking the claws.

"We don't have time to chat. The hyenas will be here any second now." Nya says with annoying, the lioness sniffling along the animal's back then picking a spot to sink her fangs into.

Both lion and cheetah shared a look before joining her, enjoying their catch. By the time the hyenas do arrive, they've eaten almost everything already, leaving nothing back but scraps and an occasional bite of meat. They walked away from the more primitive versions of the hyenas, letting them fight over their leftovers as they headed towards their shared den about a mile back. It was a shallow cave located in the side of a small, rocky hill and was their shared home for the past three months. Jay recalled fondly when he came here, directly to their home to discuss. 

_ The angry lion with burning brown eyes looked down at the cheetah with a snarl, thick fangs on display as his paws pressed heavily into the cheetah's shoulders. Everything in Jay screamed to run but to run was certain death in the near future. So he pushed past instincts and spoke. _

_ 'H-hey! No need for the hostility! I'm friendly! I promise!' Jay says and the lion squinted down at him, his growls only quietening slightly. _

_ 'What do you want?' The lioness' voice was low, clipped and cold as she walked over on her hind legs, her fur slightly darker than the average lion, almost matching the reddish brown of the lion's mane. _

_ 'Uh. Could you uh, let up a bit first?' Jay asked the lion nervously and his snarl was a clear no. _

_ 'Talk or you'll become lunch.' The lioness says impatiently and Jay winced once the lion's grip on his shoulders tightened. _

_ 'Ok! Ok!' Jay was quick to surrender then swallowed. 'I want to join your pride.' He managed to say as seriously as he could. _

_ Both lions paused, sharing a look to see if they heard the same thing- the large lion over him made his first humane sound: he laughed. Loud and hard. Jay tried not to let himself get angry but the parts of his spotted face not covered by fur was getting red with his irritation. _

_ 'Are you done?' Jay asked drily after a while and the lioness started to laugh too, realising that he was serious. _

_ This only rubbed Jay even more raw. Was he really that laughable as a cheetah for them to completely turn his offer down like this? He had always been different from the few baser and demi cheetahs he's come across before but he hadn't thought the difference would be so much for these two to all out laugh at his face… If that's the case then… He can kiss the promise he made to his adoptive parents about staying alive goodbye. _

_ 'You can't be serious.' The lion finally spoke around a laugh and Jay glared stubbornly at the larger male. _

_ 'So what if I am?' He asked, tilting his chin up stubbornly. _

_ 'Oh he really is serious.' The lioness says with light amusement in her voice. _

_ 'Last time I checked, you were a cheetah.' The lion pointed out. _

_ 'Yeah? So what of it?' Jay asked and the lion blinked at him then leveled him with an unimpressed look. _

_ 'What do you even mean. You're a cheetah. We're lions. Only lions can join prides and you aren't one. Either way, we're fine on our own.' The lion says and Jay frowned. _

_ 'But isn't hunting with just two of you harder? I could help! I'm super fast!' Jay prepositioned and the lions shared a look again. _

_ 'And what makes you think you have what it takes to hunt with us? If you need to seek unhelpful or protection or whatever, what good are you to us? You'll only drag us down. And even so, we don't need anyone else in our pride and that's that.' The lion says then let up the cheetah. 'Now scram before I change my mind.' The lion says with an aggravated growl. _

_ Jay got to all fours, thinking quickly. He can't let this opportunity pass him. He has to convince them somehow. _

_ 'I'll prove I can be useful-' _

_ 'Look. We know the only reason you're here is because you want something from us. Not that you want to join us.' The lioness says, crossing her arms as she flicked her tail back and forth. 'What is it? Territory? Prey? Water? Pro- oh.' She stopped once she spotted the visible tense in Jay's body language once she mentioned water. _

_ 'So it's water, huh? Of course.' The lioness chuckled. 'This deep into the dry season, a waterhole with water still is a blessing for any creature.' She says then huffed. _

_ 'I'm surprised you didn't just bypass us completely and drank your fill. What? Want to settle down? Too bad. We aren't too keen on sharing out territory.' The lion went from amused to threatening. _

_ Jay's situation was going south quickly. He had to think, and fast. He looked around quickly then looked back at them both then paused, looking at their fur. _

_ 'But you do need help hunting.' Jay insisted, regaining his courage, keeping his grin off his face when they looked struck. 'Just let me try for a while. I'm not intrusive! You won't see me around at all outside of helping you guys hunt and defending the territory. I promise!' He pleaded and both lion and lioness paused, sharing a look. _

_ The lion gave him a long, hard look before stepping aside and have a hushed conversation with the lioness. Jay took the chance to rub at his shoulders carefully with his paws that were roughened from the harsh ground of the savanna. He was nervous. Their answer could mean life or death for him… He tensed once they turned back to him then swallowed on their approach. The lion lifted his paw and Jay flinched- but then blinked once the lion extended a paw for him to take. _

_ 'We'll see what use you have to us. But if we decide to send you away, you better leave without a fight.' The lion says aggressively. _

_ Jay couldn't help but beam, taking the large paw and allowed him to help him to his hind legs. _

_ 'Alright! I will!' The cheetah says excitedly, flicking his tail back and forth. _

_ 'Your trial starts now.' The lioness says, gesturing to the outside and Jay nodded, already full of energy and food. _

_ He could get them a gazelle or a zebra no problem! _

_ 'Oh. And by the way, I'm Kai.' The lion says and Jay blinked up at his cocky fanged grin, finding himself taking in his whiskered face, his intelligent eyes, his- _

_ 'And I'm Nya.' The lioness says, crossing her strong arms over her chest. _

_ Jay looked between both powerful lion demi-humans then grinned. _

_ 'I'm Jay!' _

That was where their partnership began. It wasn't easy for Jay. They worked him to the bone but he wasn't willing to give up. It took almost a month before he was allowed to eat with them and even more before he could share their den. They've gotten really close over the entire time period however. They groomed each other and worked together as their own strange pride. They've got a lot of strange looks from other demi-humans while the baser versions of their kind chalked it up to odd demi-human behaviour. But they worked. They fit. They become family. And Jay? Well… He long felt right at home.

All three cats looked up once thunder sounded, seeing dark clouds forming overhead.

"Well well. The monsoon is here. Finally." Jay says as they walked together, a smirk on his face.

"Monsoon?..." Kai asked confused, tilting his head to the side.

"It's a human term. It's a fancier way of saying the rainy season." Jay explained.

"You sure do know a lot about the human language." Nya says, glancing across at him as they continued their way home.

It was almost suspicious but Jay had explained that his adoptive parents were hyenas that had been helped by humans before. The human language was taught to all demi-humans by their parents and their parents before them. While what they knew may be a bit outdated, it allowed demi-humans to communicate more effectively and to understand more clearly the intentions of humans. Even though they understood and spoke the human language, it was a well kept secret from the humans that they did know it. It was an advantage no demi-human was willing to let go. All the humans knew was that they could learn it if necessary. They tend to do that with more domesticated demi-humans after all.

"I only know so much. I don't like humans very much though. It's hard to tell their intentions. They twist their words and most of them hunt us." Jay says with a frown.

"Yeah…" Both Kai and Nya says quietly, leaving Jay to frown.

Did he accidentally say something bad? Before he could even think to ask, a drip of water fell on his nose. He looked up then pressed his ears flat against his head once the drop turned to drizzle.

"Oh no!" Kai yelled then took off running.

"Huh? Hey wait!" Jay yelled, running after him, keeping up with the larger lion with ease.

They made it to the cave in the nick of time, rain pouring down seconds later as thunder rolled.

"You're really particular about water, aren't you?" Jay says, amused and Kai blinked at him mid lick of his paw. "Meaning, you don't like being covered in water." He clarified.

"Water isn't my thing. It's Nya's." Kai says as he turned around and looked out of the shallow cave.

Jay looked out too then blinked to see Nya standing there on her hind legs, taking in the rain, letting it wash over her, a smile on her face. She looked really happy… Kai laid down on his stomach then began licking his rough tongue against his paw. Jay joined him, laying beside the larger lion and licking at his mane. Sure, that meant he was guaranteed to get a hairball later but he knew how much Kai was proud of his mane. He wanted to help as much as he could. Anyway, it was a really unique and attractive mane… All spiky and standing up rather than down. Things were quiet for a while, even after Jay had finished helping Kai groom himself. They watched as Nya flopped over on her back, not caring that she was getting muddy, laughing to herself as she enjoyed the heavy downpour. Jay found himself smiling.

She really did look happy.

"Hey Jay…" The cheetah looked across at the lion as he watched his sister still.

Jay had thought for a while that they were a more intimate pair and received the yelling of a lifetime.

"Yeah, what's up?" Jay asked, tail flicking back and forth curiously.

"... Now that the rains are back… You'll stay here with us still… Right?... You won't… Abandon us too… Right?" Kai asked him softly, a look of pain crossing his face.

"Too?" Jay whispered to himself, wondering who had left them before.

The cheetah's breath caught however, remembering that the only reason he came to them was for their watering hole. Did they think after all this time he spent with them, knowing them, becoming one of them, apart of their family that… That he would up and leave that behind? No way.

"Of course not. It could rain forever and I'd stay right here with you guys. You guys are family, you know?" Jay says with a fond smile, looking out as Nya squirmed around on her back, paws up in the air.

Kai looked across at Jay, at his eyes that flashed with the lightning. They were as beautiful as they were deadly. A smile tugged at Kai's lips. Family huh. Jay blinked, his eyes widening as his cheeks reddened when Kai's tail caught his flickering one, coiling around it. He looked at Kai with those wide eyes and the lion only gave him a soft smirk before shifting closer, pressing his body right up against the cheetah. Kai nuzzled the smaller cat then licked at his cheek before settling, leaving Jay to lay there tensely, his cheeks red and his heart beating a mile a minute. What was this… He…

Jay relaxed himself as he smiled softly, his heart warming as he rested against the warm mass of Kai. He was always so warm, like the sun… Jay took a moment to wonder if the reason he was never this close with him was because he was afraid he'd leave. He didn't think too much into it, choosing to nuzzle against the warm fur of his mane instead, a purr leaving him as he closed his eyes. Kai smiled then closed his eyes too, taking in the sound of rain and the feeling of Jay next to him. Somewhere along the line, the odd cheetah got under his defences, under his skin and made himself home. From his odd jokes, to his energy filled nature, to his gorgeous features and more. But he was so hesitant to get as close as he had wanted to. Not when the dry season was coming to an end. Not when the sole reason for Jay coming into their lives would leave. But now… Knowing he wouldn't leave them… Leave him… He burrows his nose into the curly brown hair of the cheetah, taking in his scent with a content purr of his own.

This monsoon felt like a little taste of heaven.


End file.
